Chapter 476: Ninety-Eighth Floor, The Abyss (1)

The Community on Earth, during the events on the ninety-eighth floor.

[Oh!]

[Wait, what? The stream’s on!]

[Su Hi![1]]

[Is it actually starting? I can’t see a thing. Is it just glitching for me?]

[Nah, same, mine’s blank too.]

[Maybe Su-Hyeok just spawned in a dark place lol.]

[Oh, it’s up now!]

[Yeah, with the lightning lighting things up, guess he was summoned somewhere dark.]

[Huh?]

[???]

[Bro that smile tho 😭✨]

[KWON SU-HYEOK JUST LOOKED AT ME!!]

[Nah, he looked at me!]

[V8! V8! V8!]

[LMAO y’all are insane 💀]

[Wait, what’s V8??]

[Damn, Su-Hyeok’s actually hot af.]

[“Damn”? Bro, you think Light Su-Hyeok is your buddy or something? 😤]

[But fr tho, that smirk?? He’s unreal.]

[Why did the trial start with a full-on close-up of his face 😭 Is there a pro cameraman or what?]

[HELLO WHAT IS V8 😭😭😭]

[Lol the stream quality just jumped to 4K outta nowhere 💀💀💀]

[Yoo, I almost had a heart attack. He’s too hot.]

[Stop simping.]

[“Stop simping”? You good bro??]

[This literally looks like a movie scene 💫]

[LMAOOO I’m losing it 😭😭]

[SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT V8 MEANS!!!]

***

「Invisible message: The Tower of Ordeal has temporarily lifted the Abyss’s restriction on combat.」

***

[Welcome to the ninety-eighth floor of the Tower of Ordeal: The Abyss.]

The tower just had to summon me into a completely dark area. I couldn’t even make out the faintest outline of my own hand. Not an inch ahead was visible, but I could distinctly sense countless presences around me, each radiating a unique intent and emotion. Some exuded a clear sense of hostility, while others remained still and indifferent.

No additional messages appeared before me. With what felt like a barrier protecting me, I realized that I had a brief window to gather my bearings. Needing no second reminder, I summoned lightning. The flash burst outward, illuminating my surroundings with a blinding light that split through the air like a whip.

The current spun in circles around me, confirming what I had already suspected. The space around me was completely isolated.

Now. Quickly.

Before the next message could manifest, I raised my head toward the empty void and smiled. Immediately, a powerful surge of divinity coursed through me, flooding every vein like molten light.

It was the resonance of countless people and climbers from Earth, their faith and admiration converging upon me. They appeared to have seen my smile through the camera.

If just one smile could amplify my divinity to this degree, I should have done it far earlier.

The faint, wry thought crossed my mind, but I brushed it aside. Ha Hee-Jeong would have understood it was meant for her. In truth, that gesture had also been a small message to my family back on Earth as well.

Still, I couldn’t allow myself to relax for long. The presences surrounding me were heavy, sharp, and unmistakably dangerous. Their weight pressed against the air itself, hinting that violence could erupt at any moment.

As I steadied my breath, a series of messages appeared before my eyes.

[The Tower of Ordeal uses the Abyss to confine gods and apostles who have defied its laws and committed unforgivable sins.]

[If they defeat The Coming Dawn that descends upon them, they will be granted an opportunity to escape the Abyss.]

[Eliminate or survive against the incoming enemies. Time remaining: 167 hours 59 minutes.]

The description aligned almost perfectly with what I had anticipated. Eternal Feast’s appearance on an earlier floor stemmed from his involvement with causality. Because of that, I had assumed that if any gods were to appear afterward, they would have committed similar sins.

Of course, I didn’t expect there to be this many of them.

Once I had entered the trial, there was no turning back. I had to endure seven full days against the gods and apostles. Even after the trial’s announcement, they didn’t immediately move.

The barrier dissolved, and streaks of blue-gold light began to pierce through the endless darkness, revealing the Abyss in all its vastness. It was a grim sight. Countless figures stood scattered across the area. They appeared decayed, as if the long years of imprisonment had eroded both their bodies and souls.

A tense and suffocating weight suffused the air. I could feel the weight of their hatred, their desperation, and their envy pressing against me.

This isn’t going to be easy.

Even by the sheer number of presences, I could tell the scale of this trial was unlike previous ones. The Abyss seemed infinite, with no walls, ceiling, or discernible boundaries. It was a void that devoured both sight and sound, and somewhere within that emptiness lay countless entities watching and waiting. I couldn’t determine how many awaited me, nor their power levels.

Thankfully, I could handle up to third-class gods without issue. Only a few floors ago, I had barely competed against a restricted and weakened Eternal Feast. In the time since then, I had grown stronger, sharper, and steadier.

Any opponent above that will be the real threat. If a first-class god appears, can I win?

I recalled Thunder Axe and immediately felt doubtful. It had been a hopeless matchup. Then again, Thunder Axe was one of the most powerful first-class gods. Perhaps, against an ordinary one, I could stand a chance. After all, I deeply believed that the tower never created truly impossible trials.

Maybe there isn’t a first-class god.

The gods I sensed were weaker than even Eternal Feast had been. Even if I were a challenger, the idea of a first-class god appearing during the selection process was completely absurd. That thought gave me some reassurance, though not enough to ease my vigilance. If anything, this was the time to assert my dominance.

In a crowd this large, many would wait in silence, ready to strike the moment I showed weakness. I had to conserve my strength, but even more importantly, I couldn’t appear vulnerable. A hint of hesitation could turn half this horde into predators.

By the way, what should I do about the indifferent ones?

Among the countless hostile gazes cutting through the dark, there were a few that stood out. They emitted a cold and disinterested aura, almost detached from the situation.

Are they simply not interested in me?

It was strange, especially for gods. Apostles surrendering their will to fight wouldn’t be as surprising, but gods were prideful and authoritative. Perhaps the endless confinement had broken their resolve, or they had transcended their attachments entirely.

Either way, that indifference made them unpredictable.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The tower said anyone who defeats me can leave this place, right?

I couldn’t afford to assume anyone would remain neutral. Even the quiet ones could become enemies the moment an opportunity struck.

Hmm.

I wasn’t sure how long they had been trapped here, but if the tower had sealed them away, they had surely crossed the line. There was no need for pity or hesitation. Most had likely been caught invading other worlds illegally.

I have already seen others exploit loopholes within the tower’s trials.

Even if the apostles had only followed their gods’ commands, it didn’t erase their sins. The tower’s judgment could be trusted more than theirs ever could. I steadied my breathing, careful not to let my doubt show. Readying for battle, I adjusted my grip on Soulbound and forced myself to appear calm, almost casual.

Poong-Lyeong was already brimming with energy. Sharp gales formed a protective halo that circled me restlessly. Pulling my cloak higher to guard against sudden attacks, I gazed at what appeared to be the largest group of enemies.

“If you take me down, you get to leave, right?”

My voice echoed across the hollow space, but nobody responded. Only the thick, suffocating silence, and the unmistakable pulse of hostility that cut through it. Even the indifferent divinities didn’t retreat. They stood still, unmoving, observing me in silence.

As I suspected, they would undoubtedly make an attempt later on. Well, perhaps they simply found the situation amusing. After all, being trapped in the dark for ages could drive anyone to crave spectacle.

A slow, sharp grin spread across my face. “Come.”

No one moved. Whether they were waiting for someone else to make the first move or just gauging my strength, I couldn’t tell.

I tilted my head slightly, deliberately goading them.

A part of me wanted to make the first strike, but that would be reckless. I had no idea how many were hidden within the depths of this pit. Steady progression was the wiser choice over blind aggression.

Even during this standstill, I had to conserve stamina and stretch the time as much as possible. My eyes swept across the countless faces, the hollow eyes filled with madness and hunger. Minutes slipped by, and I could sense it dawning on them that I was buying time.

“What’s wrong? Not coming?” I taunted again, but received no response.

I had expected at least one to lose control, thinking that surely there would be a hotheaded apostle or god. However, the long imprisonment seemed to have beaten caution into them.

Hyena-like bastards.

For beings branded as sinners, none seemed eager to step forward and claim the spotlight. Not that I was complaining.

The stalemate finally ended when, from the farthest reaches of the darkness, a small, frail figure stumbled forward. It was an apostle. It hadn’t advanced voluntarily, however—a god had shoved it out.

The apostle turned back, startled and confused. Having been pushed so abruptly, its stance was awkward and unbalanced. Before it could retreat, a black spear shot out from behind it, narrowly grazing its neck before hovering there like a threat.

The message was clear: either attack me or die where it stood.

So they will attack one another.

Even so, it was astonishing that so many beings were confined here at once.

The apostle’s trembling eyes darted between the spear at its back and me standing in the distance. Then, with a resigned breath, its expression hardened into reluctant resolve.

Did it decide that facing me is better?

The thought didn’t sit well with me. A flash of blue-gold lightning tore through the darkness. An instant later, it struck the apostle head-on.

“

Gah!

”

It convulsed before collapsing lifelessly to the ground with a sharp thud. Silence reclaimed the air. Dozens of eyes glimmered in the dark, fixed on me as they gauged the strength of that single strike. I could almost hear the gears turning in their heads. My attention shifted to the god who had pushed the apostle forward. Judging from his aura, he was below third class, perhaps fourth at best.

I tilted my chin slightly and murmured, almost lazily, “Next.”

Though I had stared directly at him as I had declared that, another apostle stepped forward again. However, it wasn’t alone this time. From both sides, three apostles were shoved forward. Their presences matched or exceeded that of the earlier one. Perhaps because of prior experience, they didn’t hesitate. Instead, they launched off the floor in sync.

Once more, a blue-gold flash tore through the air.

“

Kek!

”

I had empowered that burst of lightning more than the first. The three apostles went rigid and collapsed the instant they moved.

Sweeping my gaze at the collected criminals, I coolly declared, “Next.”

After a short silence, they pushed out a god, having realized that apostles alone were insufficient to gauge my level. Even so, this god was unusually weak. I suspected he was a prospective god, even below fifth-class. In truth, he wasn’t that much stronger than an apostle. I wasn’t sure what a god weaker than Fenrike could have done to end up dragged into a place like this, but he wasn’t ordinary either.

Behind the god, four distinct attacks hung suspended in the air, poised to strike at any moment. I looked at him with a composed expression. For all his divinity, the resolve in his eyes lacked the conviction even the apostles had shown. This time, I decided it would be best to make even more of an example of him. I breathed causality into my Heart Sword.

Though I didn’t move, the wandering soul within my inner world traced a brilliant line of blue-gold light through the void.

Shhhk—!

The god reacted almost instantly, yet it was too late. A line mirroring the one within my inner realm appeared on him. He stiffened as a deluge of lightning consumed him before collapsing.

The repetition of it all was beginning to irritate me. I turned my focus toward the spot where the god who had pushed him forward was standing and leveled Soulbound in that direction.

“Next.”

***

[Eliminate or survive against the incoming enemies. Time remaining: 166 hours 45 minutes.]

The gods who had been testing me soon began to join forces and surge toward me. What followed was a dull, drawn-out exchange of blows. Judging by how they had threatened one another earlier, I had assumed there would be more inner conflict. As time went on, however, that no longer seemed to be the case.

I think my arrival changed things.

Their attacks felt blunt for the power they possessed—they obviously hadn’t fought in a long time. Still, rotten fish could bite, and each strike wasn’t weak.

More importantly, they remained on edge, gazing leerily as they kept an eye on one another. The prize would be reserved for whoever landed the final blow. Perhaps for that reason, the majority of attacks were ranged, aimed to nibble away at my stamina without overcommitting. Their initial cooperation was likely meant to hunt for openings from a safe distance.

Ugh.

Even so, their constant vigilance and jockeying for advantage left a sour taste in my mouth. On another level, with how this was playing out, I almost felt like the raid boss. In the past, climbers used to join forces to bring down powerful beings. I wondered if the ones we had hunted had felt the same way I did now.

I unleashed my Heart Sword and sent lightning in every direction. Amid the blue-gold flashes, the corpses of the gods and apostles who had fallen minutes earlier shattered into fragments and vanished.

Fortunately, I could absorb the divinity they left behind. I had worried I would lose in a war of attrition, but if I could absorb their essence, lasting the entire time no longer seemed impossible.

Honestly, I was pretty rattled at first.

There were countless gods and apostles, so at first glance, the trial appeared absurd, but I felt confident the tower had its reasons for sending me here. Considering how the prisoners checked and restrained one another, I could probably overcome them.

If they had gone mad and combined their strength recklessly, it would have been truly difficult. That would still be dangerous if it happened. I had to use their mentality against them.

While trading blows, a thought suddenly struck me. That message about “incoming enemies” bothered me.

If nobody attacks me, does that mean the trial will end? Hmm. Maybe it will be better to force the issue and make a decisive move.

From what I had sensed, the strongest opponent was approximately a third-class god. If I killed that one, perhaps it would shatter their morale. Of course, I couldn’t be certain which choice was correct. Such a reckless action could cost me dearly.

Hmm, what should I do?

1. This is probably an abbreviation of ‘Su-Hyeok Hi!’ ☜